Dolphins Adam Gase talks about David Fales

The Miami Dolphins have a quarterback competition brewing in training camp and as the practices turn to pre-season games, it could get good.

David Fales and Brock Osweiler are competing for the number two spot behind starter Ryan Tannehill and it is an important job especially given the fact that Tannehill is hoping to play his first regular season game since December of 2016. Interestingly enough, Adam Gase may have tipped off some final roster possibilities in yesterday post practice press conference.

Gase was answering questions about David Fales, you can read those below, but one question in particular led Gase to this answer regarding last years squad.

"I think when we left training camp we thought he would be our three, but we weren’t keeping three. – Adam Gase"

The Dolphins didn’t keep three quarterbacks last year and the year before they did keep three with Brandon Doughty as the third QB however Doughty was released in September and re-signed to the practice squad. It was a move to protect him from being claimed off waivers following the final cuts around the league.

Miami isn’t expected to go with three quarterbacks this year and that means that a battle between Fales and Osweiler would decide who is the primary back-up to Tannehill. Through two practices, Fales has looked much better than Osweiler.

On Friday it was reported that Osweiler had a much better second day of practice but early reports from Saturday’s practice has said that Osweiler has taken a step back. The Dolphins are expected to go full contact starting on Sunday when they don full pads for the first time.

Gase isn’t ready to give a nod to Fales just yet and as he told the media there is a difference between evaluating a quarterback in third down drills when the defense knows you are throwing the ball and in games when the defense doesn’t know that information.

Miami doesn’t have to make a decision until after the pre-season schedule is over so there is time for this competition to build. Here is what Adam Gase said about Fales after practice yesterday and it gives better context into the portion of his quote above.

The transcripts were released by the Miami Dolphins media department to the public.

(With QB David Fales, you’ve been with him for three years. Did you ever think there would be a point where he would be competing for the No. 2 spot?) – “That’s a tough one. I don’t know if I ever thought about it in the previous years. I think last year when he came back and we watched him keep improving … I think when we left training camp we thought he would be our three, but we weren’t keeping three. So when he came back and we kept seeing how he was improving and his arm strength, I noticed the longer we went, the better his arm strength got. It seemed like he really started doing a good job in the weight room where his core got a lot stronger. I think that helped his velocity on some of his throws. He has a very good presence about him, whether it be in the pocket or moving around. He can kind of see things that some quarterbacks can’t see. I think that’s something that’s caught our eye, and then allowing him to play in that last game, I think he earned the right to compete for that No. 2 spot.”

(Is that the biggest difference in QB David Fales now? Not just the pocket presence but the arm strength?) – “I think with his anticipation and the improvement with his arm strength – because I do think it’s better than what it’s been – I think that’s something that’s really caught our eye more than anything.”

(What’s your process for evaluating QB David Fales against QB Brock Osweiler for the No. 2 spot? Do you need to see all four preseason games?) – “I think it’ll probably be a little bit of a feel. As we go through the training camp practices and then when we get into the preseason, it’ll be interesting to see if somebody separates one from the other. That’s why we’re trying to give both of them equal amount of reps with different groups so we can get a clean evaluation. It’s going to be one of those things where does it feel like this guy is really accelerated? Are good things happening when one is in and it’s okay with the other? Sometimes that stuff kind of cleans up for you, especially when you get into the preseason games.”

(Wouldn’t you have thought you’d be there by now somewhat?) – “It changes. When you get into games … Practice is different. Sometimes when you’re doing a third-down period and the defense knows you are just going compared to the flow of a game when you’re in first and second down and then a third down shows up every once in a while. It’s a completely different feel in a game compared to practice.”